The Convergence Parts 6 Thru 10 |
The Convergence Part 6 Why Now – Part 3 In the previous posts I have been giving perspectives on the question “Why Now”? Why is it relevant that the signs of the times seem to be pointing to our lifetime? Why could they not be pointing to the times a thousand years ago or a thousand years from now? I have posted regarding the “Greatest Sign – Israel” and the “Dispensational Perspective”. In this post I will deal with a third consideration I will call the “Church History Perspective”. This perspective will consider the letters written to the 7 Churches in the Book of Revelation (Chapters 2 and 3). A number of commentators on the Book of Revelation agree that the letters to the 7 Churches may be considered from 4 points of views:
Each letter was written to a particular person (the angel or Pastor of the Church). Each letter was written to a particular Church (Ephesus, Smyrna, etc.). Looking backwards in time it can be seen how each letter seems to describe a prophetic development of the Church Age which can be considered panoramic when you look at Chapters 2 and 3 together in the Book of Revelation. It is the prophetic and panoramic viewpoints that I want to consider in this posting. I believe that Jesus chose these particular 7 Churches not only to deliver a current message at that time but also to reveal how the Church Age would progress or digress. In an attempt to keep this posting short, the following chart summarizes the letters to the 7 churches from a prophetic point of view. Letter Church Age Timeframe Ephesus ------------ The Apostolic Church ----------------- Pentecost - 100 A.D. Smyrna ------------- The Persecuted Church ------------------- 100 - 316 A.D. Pergamos ----------- The Compromising Church ------------- 316 - 500 A.D. Thyatira ------------ The Pagan Church ------------------------ 500 - 1500 A.D. Sardis --------------- The Dead Church ------------------------- 16th - 17th Century Philadelphia ------ The Evangelical Church ----------------- 18th - 19th Century Laodicea ------------ The People’s Church --------------------- 20th Century It is my belief, as well as many noted prophetical teachers, that we are currently living in the Laodicean Church Age that I often refer to as the deceived Church. Why do I say deceived? Listen to what Jesus says about that particular Church. Rev 3:14-22 14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; 15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. 16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. 17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: 18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. 19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. 21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. 22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. KJV
Notice the contrast of how the Church perceives herself verses Jesus’ appraisal of the same Church. Sounds like self-deception to me, even though Jesus still refers to Laodicea as a “Church”. That would mean the Laodicean Church Period would occur before the end of the Church Age or the Age of Grace in an event that is referred to as the “rapture”. If that is the case then we are living at the time of the last Church Period before the end of this “age”. I believe the signs of the times are converging on our time, the end of the Church Age. Also please note that each Church Period had a beginning and an end. Many of us today do not want to consider that the Church Age may come to a conclusion in our life time. From a certain point of view we are like the people living in Jesus’ lifetime. They refused to believe that He was the Messiah because they did not think He would come in their life time. He was always to come in the future. They didn’t know that one day the future becomes the present. He (Jesus) who was prophesized for nearly 4000 years finally came to earth – the future became the present. Why Now? The “Greatest Sign – Israel” has returned; we are living in the longest Dispensation ever that must eventually come to an end; and we are living in the last Church Period prior to the Lord’s return to snatch away the Church (the rapture). It is true, no one knows the day nor the hour of the Lord’s return but if you look around and consider the events that are happening worldwide, an honest assessment would yield you to see that things are converging toward the end of this age – the Age of Grace. Are you Rapture Ready? In the next posting, I will start getting into the various signs. Until then - May God bless you. |
The Convergence Part 7 The Signs
In this post we will start dealing with the various signs that are converging to the end of the Age. These signs will not be given in any particular order around the circle (reference the Convergence Diagram) but will be done at random to keep you in suspense,
1. We have already dealt with one of the signs – Jerusalem back into Jewish Hands (Luke 21:24). Since we know that Israel exist today as a nation, I will not spend any time here. This was not the case 1500 years ago, a 1000 or 500 years ago. This came to pass in our time period, May 14, 1948 along with June 6, 1967 during the Six-Day War. If you want to read about a modern military miracle, read the documentation regarding the war.
2. Today, I want to begin with another sign – Return of the Days of Noah (Luke 17:26-27; Matthew 24:37-39). Jesus said just before His return that the conditions that were occurring during the days of Noah would return. Most of us associate Noah with the Great Flood – and that is correct. However, other events and conditions also occurred to warrant and facilitate the Great World-wide Flood. A careful study of Genesis 6-7 will lead you to also consider the following events and conditions that were taking place.
There are more things that could be considered, but I will stop with the list above. If you were to honestly consider what is happening in the world today and compare it to the list above, I believe it will take your breath away. If not, my goal is to share current news articles and chart data (that you can put together yourself) so you can make your own conclusions. Obviously, I will not be able to put all of the news article and charts in this 1 post, but I will do my best to keep them to a minimum. There will be “some assembly required”. You will have to read the referenced Scriptures and the News Articles. Due to the length of some of the articles I will only give you the link to the full articles. Let’s start with the population explosion. There are more people on planet earth than there has ever been. The world is not getting larger but the number of people that are occupying the same land mass is ever increasing. Consider the following chart that is available to anyone online. I believe the chart speaks for itself. Remember that the chart is showing world population growth. That means it is subtracting worldwide deaths from worldwide births and the trend is still showing a population increase. It may not seem possible from our point of view but research your own data to convince yourself. With more people on earth, that is ¾ water, you can see how hunger, territorial wars, etc. are playing out right before our eyes.
You really want to have an eye opener – open the following link for current population information. All I can say is WOW. http://www.worldometers.info/world-population/
This is just one of the things that was happening in the days of Noah. In the next post we will consider several others. Remember, I promised to keep each posting short. Please stay tuned and may the Lord God bless you.
|
The Convergence Part 8 The Signs
Return of the Days of Noah (Luke 17:26-27; Matthew 24:37-39).
Last week I focused on the population explosion that occurred in the days of Noah. A graph and a web site was provided. This week I will deal with the next 3 items in the list that were occurring in the days of Noah (Genesis 5:29 – 7:24).
It is believed that by the time of the Great Flood there were over 1 billion people on earth (binomial population growth estimates). For 1,656 years there were people being born that were living hundreds of years in a nearly perfect climate. How is that possible? Please remember that Man, as created, was designed by God to live forever. It was sin that he committed that brought in death. Gen 2:16-17 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. KJV
Rom 5:12 12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: KJV Out of over a billion people on earth, there was only 1 man who was called a preacher of righteousness by God (2 Peter 2:5). That man was Noah. For 120 years he preached about the end of known world at that time but, in the end, only 8 people were saved. For 120 years the unbelieving population saw the Ark being prepared and built to save the believers but did not consider that the end of their world would soon come. They thought it was all a joke and had no possibility of occurring. After all, the world had been existing ever since they were born. The climate was sub-tropical everywhere, all year long. The earth was covered by an invisible canopy of water that kept the earth equal temperature all year long. In fact, there were no storms, tornadoes or hurricanes. The people lived in a nearly perfect environment, but sin was present. As we look at the characteristics of the Laodicean Church (Revelation 3:14-22) that thinks everything is OK, it reflects back to the time of Noah. Everyone thought everything was OK as well until the judgment began. I wonder what the people were saying or thinking when they saw the animals coming to Noah. What were they thinking when all the animals and Noah’s family entered the ark? Can you imagine the amount of ridicule Noah received telling everyone that it was going to “rain”. The people had never seen rain - for the Bible says the earth was watered by a mist coming from the ground in those days (Genesis 2:5-6). They probably saw no need of a boat the size that Noah had built and thought all his efforts were in vain. They were unbelievers until the rain started and the flood began. However, it was a realization realized too late. Today, there are many who are preaching and teaching on the end of this “age”. However, their number, in comparison to the current population of the world will still make them the minority. It may not seem possible or probable that we may be nearing the end of this “age”, but that will not stop the events planned by God. God, however, has made a way for us to escape the judgments that are to come. The Way is Jesus. He, alone, is the Ark of our Salvation. Romans 10:9-10 9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. KJV John 14:6-7
6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
KJV
I pray that you see the similarities between our current state and the days in the time of Noah. There are no arts and charts to share with you in this session but please study the referenced Scriptures prayerfully. Next week I will deal with the Intermingling of Spiritual Beings (Angels) with Human Beings. Until the next posting.
May God bless you. |
The Convergence Part 9 The Signs
Return of the Days of Noah (Luke 17:26-27; Matthew 24:37-39).
Last week I dealt with the following 3 items in the list that were occurring in the days of Noah (Genesis 5:29 – 7:24).
This week I will deal with “Intermingling of Spiritual Beings (Angels) with Human Beings” (Genesis 6:1-6). This has been and remains a controversial topic of discussion. There are some who believe that the “sons of God” referred to in Genesis 6 are evil-hearted men since they took wives and had children. Their belief is that spiritual beings (angels) cannot have children by humans. The opposing school of thought that I also believe is that the “sons of God” are indeed angels that left their first estate (Jude 6) and came down from heaven and took wives of men and had children. These children were a cross-breed between angels and humans. The Bible refers to them as the “Nephilim” or “Giants”. If evil-hearted men had children by wives they took, the child would still be human. However, this is not the case in Genesis 6. This unholy union resulted in a new species (the Nephilim). I know that angels are spiritual beings (Hebrews 1:13-14) but at times they come down to earth in the form of humans (see Genesis 18 and 19). In Genesis 18 the angels are referred to as men but in Genesis 19 two of them are referred to as angels (the One that stayed behind was more than an angel, it was The Lord in His pre-incarnate form sometimes referred to as “the Angel of the Lord”). In fact the men of Sodom and Gomorrah thought the 2 angels were men as well and wanted to have sex with them. Nevertheless, while in their human form angels can do human functions (eat, drink, etc.) Hebrews 13:2 says “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” The angels that came down from heaven and took wives of the daughters of men were fallen angels who had left their first estate. When they came down and took on human form they had intimate relations with the wives they took. Again, these spiritual beings took on human form and performed human functions (eating, drinking, intimacy, etc.). If you will notice the ladies were not necessarily willing subjects but were forced. Regardless, the children they had were not totally human or totally angel. They were a mixture of both but still lived in a human-populated world. It was the evilness of the Nephilim and the unholy union of humans and angels that led God to destroy the 1st world. Evilness was prevalent continuously. Jesus said that at the time of the end, the things that happened during the days of Noah shall reappear. I believe Jesus knew exactly what He was referring to when uttering that statement. What? You mean that events of this nature will happen again? Is that possible? All I can tell you is what is written in the Scripture referring to events similar to that. Let’s see. God gave a dream to the King of Babylon. In this dream God shared with him the chronology of world kingdoms from his time until the time of the end. There were 4 world kingdoms revealed to the king. It is in the portion of the dream of the last world kingdom (the 4th) that an unusual statement was made. Dan 2:40-43 40 And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise. 41 And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters' clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay. 42 And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken. 43 And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay. KJV Notice in verse 43 that “they” shall mingle themselves with the seed of “men”. The “they” are not human since “they” will mingle themselves the “seed of men” (humans). Today we would refer to the “they” as aliens. If we were living in the days of Noah we would refer to the “sons of God” (angels) as aliens as well since their home was in heaven, not earth. Please understand the Bible does not say the only life in the universe is on earth. God also made angels whose habitation was in heaven but they visit earth every now and then. The beings that we refer to as aliens today are merely deceiving spirits (angels) who rebelled with Lucifer and are doing their best to deceive humankind to believe that:
This is contrary to God’s plan for Man in terms of redemption. John 3:16 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. KJV This posting is getting a little long so let me refer you to a book that was written a few years ago about detailed studies on what is referred to alien abductions. It will really open your eyes. Abduction: Human Encounters with Aliens by John E. Mack An esteemed professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, and a Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer, Dr. John Mack never intended to become an expert in the controversial study of alien abductees. But after investigating over 60 cases of alien abduction through hundreds of hours of interviews and treatment, Dr. Mack now presents the mesmerizing tales of alien encounters An esteemed professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, and a Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer, Dr. John Mack never intended to become an expert in the controversial study of alien abductees. But after investigating over 60 cases of alien abduction through hundreds of hours of interviews and treatment, Dr. Mack now presents the mesmerizing tales of alien encounters revealed by his patients-- none of whom are mentally ill-- and the profound, surprising and at times deeply spiritual impact these experiences have has on their lives. Providing details of alien encounters never before reported or depicted on the screen, the men and women whose experiences are related here in unforgettably vivid detail are not extremists recounting dreams or hallucinations. Rather, as Dr. Mack reports, they are survivors of harrowing, real-life experiences that challenge the most basic assumptions that make up our understanding of our existence and our role in the universe.
Jesus said just before the end of the age, the characteristics of the Day of Noah would return. Every since the 1940’s there has been a great deal of communication regarding UFO’s, alien abductions, Area 51 and other phenomena as such. Just think about it. How would deceiving spirits deceive a highly-technical world with all the knowledge we have? They will try to deceive us through our own technological knowledge. Don’t buy it. God created Man and the animals on earth and God created angels that occupy heaven and the heavenlies, that’s all. I know this posting may cause you to be a little uncomfortable, but read the Scriptures and study for yourself. Most of all, pray to the all wise God for clarity. Next week I will get back into the arts and charts of this study. Until then, pray for the City of Flint with their water crisis. Until the next posting.
May God richly bless you. |
The Convergence Part 10 The Signs
Return of the Days of Noah (Luke 17:26-27; Matthew 24:37-39).
Last week I dealt with the Intermingling of Spiritual Beings (Fallen Angels) with Human Beings. Now I will deal with the final 4:
Instead of giving you a lot of rhetoric, I will show you the graphs of the signs so you can make your own conclusions. It is important to consider all these events on a world-wide basis, not just the United States. This is especially true when considering wickedness and evil-heartedness. While I do not have charts for wickedness and evil-heartedness, all you have to do is read the newspapers or watch the news. It is disheartening how much violence occurs in the world on a daily basis. We have Terrorism, Racial Tensions, Missile launches, bomb detonations, and nations against nations - a world constantly in tension. Let me ask you a questions, “How safe do you feel going out each day?” As much as we talk about trying to achieve peace in the world, is there really peace? There are charts for the other signs: The first 2 Charts are regarding the increase in knowledge. This is reiterated in Daniel 12:4 4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased. KJV Please note that the increase in knowledge is not only in wholesome arenas but also in evilness. The next 3 charts show how there is an increase in worldwide volcanoes. Last week alone, there were 3 new volcanoes that started erupting. This is an indication that the earth is internally heating up. The last 2 charts speak to the number of earthquakes and natural disasters that are occurring more and more frequently. Jesus said in Matthew 24:7-8: 7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows. KJV If you look at all these charts collectively, it is obvious that these signs are getting worse and worse more and more frequently – very similar to a woman delivering a child. I have been assembling such information on a weekly basis since 2012. Below is the link to one of my documents that was done for the last week in December 2015. Paste it in your web browser and take a look at it. Every week it is about the same.
The Bible says in 1 Thessalonians 5:2-6 2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. 3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. 4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. 5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. 6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. KJV Notice in verse 4 that it states that we (Christians) should not be overtaken in surprise. We are children of the light. So, by looking at all the signs occurring simultaneously, we should be more confident that our Lord is soon to return just as He said He would. Revelation 22:20 says: 20 He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. KJV Is that our prayer? Until the next posting.
May The Lord Jesus be with you all. |
Inner Peace Baptist Church Incorporated - May 2006 Organized - June 2006 |